The Department of Health and Social Care has launched a recruitment campaign for a director general for people, offering a salary of up to £174,000 for the successful candidate.
The new DG, advertised as SCS Pay Band 3, will be responsible for setting a new strategic direction following the decision in March to reintegrate the functions of NHS England into DHSC.
The merger is described in the NHS 10-year plan as an opportunity to streamline the functions at the centre of Whitehall. The plan says “the process of abolishing NHS England will be complete within the next two years”.
The DG for people role is described in the job advertisement as a unique opportunity for “shaping the future organisation as the Department of Health and Social Care incorporates the functions previously carried out by NHS England into a new entity”.
The advert also says: “Given the context of this role, you will also need to demonstrate flexibility in your approach and an ability to motivate your teams through uncertainty.”
The role will require “regular attendance at both DHSC and NHS England current headquarters in Leeds and London, with travel to other locations as necessary”, the advert states.
A key responsibility of the post holder will be to “design the new structure for the people function to ensure that it will meet ministerial priorities and deliver the benefits envisaged through the organisational redesign”.
Essential requirements for the role include “extensive senior experience of developing and implementing workforce, training or education strategies in complex systems”.
A further requirement is “significant executive experience at board or executive team level”, and “a proven ability to develop motivated, engaged and high performing teams”.
The deadline for applications is 9am on 15 September. Final panel interviews are expected to take place on 13 October.